Monday, December 28, 2015

a funeral tomorrow and hopefully, then a smooth and uneventful end to 2015.i've got a brain full of blog posts, but am having a little trouble getting them out and onto the screen. hopefully soon everything will come out ha ha.

Sunday, November 1, 2015

after the past month, i'm ready to get geared up and get lots of stuff done, on a few different fronts...

having a little read over of last month's list, i really did get most of that stuff done. with the exception of bb's jumper that is... i lost all motivation when i realised that we wouldn't be honeymooning in europe, so it wouldn't get a wear until at least april of next year!

and for this month? well wedding prep will be in full swing!i've made a wee start on prettifying the garage this afternoon, though there is LOADS to do in there. as well as a few bits and pieces that i want to get done outside too. keeping the lawn maintained, and keeping everything watered and well looked after are both on the agenda. though i'd also love to plant some happy blooms towards the end of the month too.i've got plans to spend a bit of time down with my parents in the country, which will give me some time to finalise the reception plans (table settings, floral arrangements, sound systems, catering...) as well as get a couple of projects finished up that i'm working on too!

on the knitting front, i've started two projects in the last week i'd love to get finished up on...there's also a little bit of pattern designing i've been working on that i need to finish up with too...i'll keep the details under wraps so i can surprise you when i'm done!

one of my big goals is to get my butt moving this month. my 10k steps a day has well and truly been slipping the past week or so, so i'd love to get 10k steps every day this month! and keep myself motivated on the food front too. i've really been enjoying eating vegan food, but over the last fortnight, there has been many occasions where i didn't have myself organised, or was being too lazy so ended up going for non-vegan options...hopefully i can work towards filling up the freezer with easy options, so even if i'm super tired, or on the run, there's still food for us there ready to go!

Saturday, October 31, 2015

a fortnight ago, on a sunday, i was putting together a 'my week' blog post, sitting down to some dinner with bb, and watching a little tv when our cheeky and much loved kitty started making a big racket.he was meowing and yowling and hissing, quite obviously in a huge amount of pain.

we rushed him straight to the vet, where we were very quickly informed that things weren't looking good. a blood clot lodged in the artery feeding him back legs, a blood clot caused by a dodgy heart. a dodgy heart which had also filled his little lungs with fluid.we made the incredibly hard decision to have him put to sleep, as even after a whole load of pain relieving drugs, he was still in immense pain.

it's been a pretty hard couple of weeks since we lost our little fella, and i don't think it will be something we get over quickly. to be honest, just while typing i've had a little tear up...

he was such a big part of our lives, always around to greet us after our days of work (or even just quick walks around the block) and always keeping us well and truly entertained with his crazy antics.

this one i have knitted before... i think this might be my fourth to be honest! it definitely won't be the last however, as they are super fun to knit, as well as being very quick (particularly in this weeny size!)

i always find the body incredibly compelling to knit, with the small amount of cable design. i just want to get one more repeat finished... and before i know it, it's way past bed time! i may have been a complete zombie at work yesterday for that very reason!

i knit this up in the 3 month old size, playing yardage chicken towards the end there... and i have in mind a good friend's growing bump. i just hope it still fits when it's cool enough for the little one to wear next year!

Sunday, October 11, 2015

this week saw me purchasing some new shoes! the only shoes i had that were suitable for summer were thongs (or flip-flops) which are NOT suitable for work in the least. not any longer though as i secured myself this beautiful pair of sandals. i gave them a test drive yesterday, wearing them all day at work and clocking up well over 10 000 steps in the process. not a blister nor a pinch. love them!

sampson had a super photogenic moment underneath the lamp earlier in the week. i took about a gazillion photos as he stood and posed like a model. it's a wonder what bugs in the lamp will allow me to achieve ha ha!

i whipped myself up this delicious breakfast on friday morning. i'm getting better at this cooking without animal products thing...

i had a whole bag of post to mail out this week! wedding invites are out and everything is feeling a little bit more real now. everyone knows all of the details and a few people have already sent back their rsvps. huzzah for mail!

and on top of all the above awesome stuff, the first rose of the season popped it's little head out.this was early on in the week so there's quite a few more out too. hopefully i'll be able to keep on top of dead-heading the spent roses, which will keep them blooming all summer!

what did you get up to this week? what's flowering in your garden? what's your favourite thing to have for breakfast?

Friday, October 9, 2015

this week i'm sharing a wee cardigan i've been working on for the last couple of weeks.

i've been wanting to knit up a granny's favourite for what seems like forever, so when i came across this yarn, i knew it was time!

i snapped up the yarn when we were having a mega sale in sunspun a few weeks ago.i'd never seen the colinette cadenza before, but having knit with the jitterbug in the past, i knew it would be a treat.also i just couldn't walk past the colour! there's a little lady in my family whose favourite colour is orange so a granny's favourite it had to be!

this isn't my first time knitting one of georgie's patterns, but i still can't help but marvel at the beautiful details she includes.the lacework is the sweetest thing ever. and boy do i love the slipped stitch along the inside of the button band. it helps the button bands sit flat against the body AND means they can be worked seamlessly. there's nothing i love more than finishing up a project, casting off the last edge, and having only half a dozen ends to sew in... no seaming required!

as i suspected, the cadenza was an absolute dream to work with. my only concern is that i now have a whole skein leftover... what to do? what to do?

now, i'm off to pop this baby in the bath. it definitely needs a good ol' block to relax the body and sleeves, and open up those lace panels a bit!

what have you made recently? have you knit one of georgie's patterns before? are you a seamer, or do you, like me, prefer seamless makes?

Wednesday, October 7, 2015

quite a few weekends ago now, i packed up my suitcase and headed off to the yarra valley for the third year of the craft sessions.i was really REALLY excited to be heading there, a) because i missed out last year, and b) because of the family stuff i had going on at the time. knowing what i knew about the weekend from my last visit, it would be the perfect remedy for my scattered and grief-stricken brain.and it did NOT disappoint.

the food, the accommodation, the refreshments, the atmosphere, the PEOPLE!

i feel this year, more so than the first, i got to know a lot more people, a lot better.there were faces i recognised from year one, and from the past 10 months working in the wool shop, that i connected with a little better, and i tried very hard to not be so painfully shy. quite difficult for a total introvert!

the other reason i was super excited to be heading to the craft sessions was obviously, the workshops!i picked the most perfect list of workshops this year and was very keen to get stuck in!

first cab off the rank was darning with jules.i took one of her workshops at the first retreat and loved her manner of teaching, so knew this would be a workshop i would get a whole lot out of.

jules showed us a whole range of darning techniques, to fix a whole range of issues.strengthening areas of knitting, repairing holes or nicks, even fixing pulled threads. all covered!

being woefully unprepared for my classes, i didn't have the requisite swatches knitted to darn on, so i brought along a couple of pairs of socks that desperately needed some repairs done.though it made my job a little harder, bb now has a much more functional pair of socks, yippee!

the next workshop i had scheduled was the spinning class on saturday morning.spinning is something i've been thinking and thinking about, ever since i was gifted a spindle (almost two years ago! eep!) but was always a little too scared to take the plunge.

plunge taken. in safe and guiding hands.kate and judy were our guides into the world of spinning and provided a whole lot of information on preparing fleece, the best fibers for spinning and how to actually get going and get some yarn spun. they were both absolute vaults of knowledge and i could have sat all day flicking locks of goat fleece and listening to them talk on a subject that they were both clearly very passionate about.

saturday afternoon was free time, with little demonstrations being held on a whole range of topics, as well as a mini-market running with a few stalls.

i quickly drove into the nearest town after lunch to pick up some fabric for my class on sunday (WOEFULLY unprepared!) and hurried back to check out a demonstration of some spoon carving.

i've been completely fascinated with spoon carving ever since kate started posting about it, and am trying to convince bb to give it a go. he's not so keen, but maybe i could squeeze in another hobby myself... nope!

i also popped by the mini-market and picked myself up some goodies...

a couple of skeins of wool (ironically, from the shop that i work in) as well as a GORGEOUS harris tweed pouch from jules (she sells them, and other pretties online here).
the yarn is the same that i used for my featherweight cardigan and i have been swooning over this green colour for months. i don't have a pattern in mind, but i envisage it as something beautiful and drapy, perhaps a shawl of some description...

sunday saw an all-day screen-printing workshop happening with leslie. again, i had taken a workshop (or two) with leslie on my last visit to the craft sessions, so knew i was in for an excellent day with a lady who knew her stuff!

leslie took us through a multitude of techniques that are used for screenprinting, and then brought it back to home. as in, screenprinting that you can do AT home, using inexpensive and simple items to achieve excellent results.

i had a little trouble at the start of this class as i hadn't thought a lot about what i wanted to print, pattern or design wise...most of what i came up with was way too complex for the process, so after playing around a little with this simple stencil (above) that lorelei designed and cut, i got into my groove.

we both realised we had loved ones who adored all things star wars, so got to cutting out darth vader motifs. you can see the final results of mine here.

after a break for lunch, i really got into things, cutting out and printing (and printing, and printing) a super secret squirrel wedding project. i was one of the last ones printing at the end of the day ha ha!

everyone gathered for a quick bite of afternoon tea, a few photographs and some sad farewells, and then everyone was on their way, back to reality once more.

is it wrong to be looking forward to next year's retreat already?

a big thank you has to go out to felicia and her ace gang of helpers, anna, claire, jen and martine without whom the event would NOT happen.they do such an ace job and the whole weekend is an absolutely blissful experience.

have you attended the craft sessions too? or something like it in your neck of the woods?

Monday, October 5, 2015

phew! last week was a big one. trying new recipes meant lots of time spent in the kitchen, but with lots of super delicious results!and not a single animal product was cooked! well by me anyway... bb is not as keen on being on the vegan train as i am ha ha!

i'm still feeling really great about eating in this way though, so prepare yourself for another week of vegie based meals!

tonight, i'll bake some mediterranean sweet potatoes, and top them with some of the stuff in the fridge, tomatoes, avocado and maybe some a spinach salad on the side. should be nice and fresh on this hot melbourne day.

tomorrow, i'll throw some mexican rice in the slow cooker before work. it's always nice to come home to have all of the cooking done.

wednesday, i'm off from work, so i'll end a nice pottering day around home with these pies. they were on the list last week, but never quite happened... and after some thinking, i'll replace the vegan biscuits (scones from what i can gather), that top the pie, with some olive oil pastry, as i'm not so keen on buying butter alternatives and things.

thursday, i'm sadly back to work, but will whip up this soba noodle salad when i get home.

last week, i missed out on having to work a late night due to the public holiday, but i'm back working friday night this week, and as such, i'll pop some vego tacos in the slow cooker. i'll make sure we have all the fixings so that it's easy to serve and eat when both bb and i get home from work.

saturday, i'll be working again, so will leave bb in charge of the cooking. i might suggest he has a crack at those vegie burgers i was talking about last week though... they never happened either, which i was a bit sad about.

by sunday, i think we'll need some curry in our lives. this lentil curry was ace last week, so i'll definitely have another go!

Sunday, October 4, 2015

a delayed post today as i was working all day, and then just HAD to get out and enjoy some sunshine when i got home.
daylight savings, you are very welcome here!

my packed lunch efforts have continued through the week, salad jars and snacks all the way.
oh and there's my beautiful ben elke lunch bag too.. making this whole taking a packed lunch thing WAY nicer!

picked up some delicious vegan treats on my way to the finders keepers market on friday from smith and deli. not pictured is the bagel with vegan cream cheese i devoured beforehand. so much yum!

this beautiful boy was so very helpful while i was putting the finishing touches on our wedding invites earlier in the week. so helpful, much sarcasm.

and for ncb this week, the girls and i hit up gazi. they looked horrified when i said i wasn't going to be having any meat or cheese, but the food that i did eat was crazy good! as were the soda's that we washed our dinner down with.
mine was an elderflower and cucumber soda, which may or may have not been spiked with a wee shot of gin. it was the perfect beverage for a beautiful spring evening!

Friday, October 2, 2015

yesterday, i mentioned that i wanted to make a couple of cushion covers and i have wasted NO time!with the public holiday in melbourne today, i thought it was the perfect excuse to ignore the housework, and get to a little bit of sewing.

the fabric panel above, i screen-printed at the craft sessions a few weekends ago, thinking i could make a cushion cover for the study for bb. he's a big fan of all things star wars!

because i was super unorganized before the craft sessions, i had no plan or idea of what i wanted to do with the screen-printing. hence, when it came to making my panel into a cushion, my fabric was a little narrow. this meant i had to play around and add some sashing around the edges to widen the panel.

i'm pretty happy with how it came together considering i'd never sashed anything before, nor constructed a cushion back before!

to hold the cushion in the cover, i sewed some buttonholes freehand on my machine (the buttonhole function wasn't working!!) to one side of the back panel, and raided my button stash for something that would work...

these little beauties came home with me from the bendigo wool show earlier in the year.

i mayyyyy already have regrets for choosing black for the sashing and backing for reasons you may have picked up in the previous picture. black surfaces don't stay pristine for long when there's a ginger kitty in the mix. cat. hair. everywhere!

what have you been making recently? have you ever sewn a cushion cover before?

Thursday, October 1, 2015

some mild panicking as it's just over 2 months to our wedding and there's a whole stack of things that i want to get done before then, not to mention christmas and 2016!!!

*takes a deep breath*

last month, i set myself some pretty simple goals.
i wanted to make a start on bb's jumper (tick), finish some socks (tick), knit some more squares on my mitred square blankie (buh-bow) and keep up with my gardening (half-tick).
they were goals that were mostly achieved, but some family stuff that happened during the month took it out of me quite a bit. there was a lot of long solo drives (no knitting time) and quite a bit of time i just wanted to sit and rest. emotions and grieving sure do take it out of you.

anywho, what about this month? well this month is slow fashion october over at fringe association, and i think i do want to join in! i'll write a post specifically about that later in the week (and maybe even that craft sessions one i've had brewing in my brain too...) to expand a little more on what my plans are.

knitting wise, i'd love to finish the little orange cardi i'm working on, and make some good progress on bb's jumper. mainly i just want to enjoy the process of knitting it though. less rush, rush, get it done, more slow, methodical meditation.i also have a couple of cushions i'd love to get sewn up. we'll see how that goes ha ha!

on the wedding front, i need to get our invites out asap! this will mean having to get them all put together and pretty, enveloped up and in the post. hopefully by the end of the weekend too. having the public holiday tomorrow gives me a bit of bonus time thankfully.i also need to get my wedding ring organised and set some solid honeymoon plans too. flights and accommodation, here we come!it's all coming together gradually.

in the garden, i really need to get some bird netting up. on everything! the possums keeps coming in the night and munching on my pretty plants. i need them to look really nice come december, so netting has to happen sooner rather than later ha ha!i also need to thin out my raspberries a little this month, they're getting out of control already and they haven't even settled in yet!

and in the kitchen? well this past week (4 days? semantics!), i've been ridiculously organised with my meals. jars with bircher muesli are on the bench top for breakfasts, the fridge is full of lentil salad in jars too, ready to grab for work and there's been a meal plan as well... it's been great! and it would be nice if i could keep that up for the month. we'll see how it goes i guess.

Monday, September 28, 2015

i have super big plans for this week ahead, and it doesn't include any of the stuff pictured below...

this here is a meat-free meal plan!strange huh? i've realised that the main focus of most of my meal plans is meat, meat, MEAT. it's really not a particularly sustainable way to be... we'll see how it goes this week, and over the coming weeks won't we?

Sunday, September 27, 2015

this week saw me heading back to work full time after quite a few weeks off. i still managed to squeeze in heaps of fun bits though... it would also explain why i'm so absolutely pooped right now ha ha!

last weekend, i picked up a little bit of yarn in the sale we were having at work... and promptly cast on this beauty. after knitting some slooooooow sleeves for bb's grown-up-sized jumper, this knit up very quickly! or it was knitting up quickly, until i put it aside to continue on with bb's sleeves. hopefully both will be done in no time!

i met this little green fellow in the florist near work. he was hiding in the back, but struck a pose as soon as i pulled my phone out. handsome devil.

a wee tipple this afternoon, to celebrate a beautiful lady's birthday. missing her greatly, as i'm sure many of her friends and family are.

lots of good excuses to go out for good food this week, first up, to celebrate a good mate from work moving on to bigger and brighter things. cocktails and tapas followed by decadent dessert never goes astray.and secondly, to thank another lovely friend, for helping to design my wedding stationary. pizza and beer all round!

a whirlwind roadtrip to help bb with some work stuff on thursday, saw me with a little bit of time to soak up some sunshine beach-side while enjoying a flask of tea and some knitting. no complaints from me!